Tool bit case

ABSTRACT

A tool bit storage system includes a plurality of tool bits with each tool bit having a head and a drive portion. The tool bit storage system also includes a tool bit case having a bottom surface and a plurality of bit retainers extending from the bottom surface with each bit retainer supporting one of the plurality of tool bits at an oblique angle relative to the bottom surface so that the drive portion of the one of the plurality of tool bits extends generally away from the bottom surface and the head of the one of the plurality of tool bits extends generally toward the bottom surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional patent application to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/945,263, filed Jul. 18, 2013, which issued asU.S. Pat. No. 9,421,685 on Aug. 23, 2016, and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/672,929, filed Jul. 18, 2012, theentire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The application relates to storage devices and, more particularly, tocases for storing tool bits.

Containers for storing tool bits such as drill bits, screwdriver bits,torque bits, and the like are known. Such containers typically includeretaining means for holding the tool bits in an organized manner. Due tothe relatively small sizes of the tool bits, however, it may sometimesbe difficult for a user to grasp and remove the tool bits from theretaining means.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of retrieving a toolbit from a tool bit case. The tool bit case includes a bottom surfaceand a bit retainer extending from the bottom surface. The methodincludes supporting the tool bit with the bit retainer at an obliqueangle relative to the bottom surface of the tool bit case so that adrive portion of the tool bit extends generally away from the bottomsurface, engaging the drive portion of the tool bit with a driver whilethe tool bit is supported by the bit retainer, and removing the tool bitfrom the bit retainer by manipulating the driver.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a tool bit storage systemincluding a plurality of tool bits. Each tool bit includes a head and adrive portion. The tool bit storage system also includes a tool bit casehaving a bottom surface and a plurality of bit retainers extending fromthe bottom surface. Each bit retainer supports one of the plurality oftool bits at an oblique angle relative to the bottom surface so that thedrive portion of the one of the plurality of tool bits extends generallyaway from the bottom surface and the head of the one of the plurality oftool bits extends generally toward the bottom surface.

Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent byconsideration of the following detailed description and accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a tool bit case containing aplurality of tool bits therein.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a tray of the tool bit case of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, top perspective view of a portion of the tray ofFIG. 2, illustrating a bit retainer.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the tray of FIG. 2,illustrating two tool bits supported by two bit retainers on the tray,respectively.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the tray of FIG. 2,illustrating a tool bit engaged by a driver while supported by a bitretainer on the tray.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood thatthe phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a tool bit case 10 containing therein tool bits 14for use with either a powered or a manual driver 16 (e.g., a drill or aratcheting driver, respectively). Each tool bit 14 includes a driveportion 14A, a head 14B, and a shank 14C connecting the drive portion14A to the head 14B. The drive portion 14A is configured to be engagedby each of the drivers 16 or other tool chucks to operate (e.g., drive,rotate, etc.) the tool bit 14. In the illustrated construction, thedrive portions 14A of the tool bits 14 have generally hexagonalcross-sections. The heads 14B of the tool bits 14 are the workingportions of the tool bits 14 and may include, for example, Phillipsscrewdriver heads, flat screwdriver heads, torque heads, and the like.The shank 14C of each tool bit 14 extends between the drive portion 14Aand the head 14B. The illustrated shanks 14C are generally cylindricaland have outer diameters that are smaller than outer perimeters of thedrive portions 14A and the heads 14B such that the shanks 14C are neckportions of the tool bits 14.

The tool bit case 10 includes a tray 18 and an outer case 22 in whichthe tray 18 is located. In the illustrated construction of the tool bitcase 10, the outer case 22 includes a two-piece clamshell configurationwith a latch 26 to maintain the outer case 22 closed. Alternatively, theouter case 22 may include any of a number of different configurations.As a further alternative, the tray 18 may be integrally formed with oneof the pieces of the outer case 22.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the tray 18 includes bit retainers 30coupled to the tray 18. The illustrated bit retainers 30 extend upwardfrom a bottom surface 34 of the tray 18 and are integrally formed withthe tray 18 as a single piece. As such, the bit retainers 30 and thetray 18 are made of the same material (e.g., plastic). Alternatively,the bit retainers 30 may include an elastic covering (e.g., a rubberovermold) to facilitate holding the tool bits 14 therein.

With reference to FIG. 3, each bit retainer 30 includes a bit supportportion 38 oriented at an oblique included angle A (FIG. 4) relative tothe bottom surface 34 to support the tool bit 14 in an inclinedorientation within the case 10. In the illustrated construction of thetool bit case 10, the bit support portion 38 of each of the bitretainers 30 includes two opposed, arcuate surfaces 42 for grasping thecylindrical shank 14C (FIG. 1) of each of the tool bits 14. In otherwords, the surfaces 42 coincide with a theoretical cylinder having acentral axis 50 oriented at the included angle A. Alternatively, the bitsupport portion 38 may include any of a number of different shapes tofacilitate grasping tool bits 14 having shanks with correspondingcross-sectional shapes.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the tool bits 14 are supported by the bitretainers 30, the tool bits 14 are likewise oriented at the obliqueangle A relative to the bottom surface 34 of the tool bit case 10. Inthe illustrated construction, the oblique angle A is approximately 30degrees such that the tool bits 14 are supported at an angle ofapproximately 30 degrees relative to the bottom surface 34.Alternatively, the oblique angle A may be between approximately 15degrees and approximately 45 degrees such that the tool bits 14 aresupported at an angle between approximately 15 degrees and approximately45 degrees relative to the bottom surface 34. Further, greater values ofthe oblique angle A may be utilized provided that the interior of theouter case 22 is sufficiently high to allow the outer case 22 to closewhen the tool bits 14 are supported at the oblique angle A.

In the illustrated construction, the tool bits 14 are supported by thebit retainers 30 so that the drive portions 14A of the tool bits 14extend generally away from the bottom surface 34 and the heads 14B ofthe tool bits 14 extend generally toward the bottom surface 34. That is,the shank 14C of each tool bit 14 is engaged by the bit retainer 30 sothat the drive portion 14A extends upwardly (albeit at the oblique angleA) and is spaced apart from the bottom surface 34, while the head 14Bextends downwardly (albeit at the oblique angle A) and contacts thebottom surface 34. In addition, the tool bits 14 are positioned andaligned within the bit retainers 30 such that the theoretical centralaxis 50 of each bit retainer 30 also represents a central longitudinalaxis of the corresponding tool bit 14.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the bit retainers 30 are arranged inmultiple rows on the tray 18 such that corresponding bit retainers 30 inadjacent rows are arranged in line with each other to form a grid-typepattern. In the illustrated construction, the bit retainers 30 arearranged such that a user can access each of the tool bits 14 withoutinterference from (e.g., contacting) any of the other tool bits 14.Alternatively, the bit retainers 30 in adjacent rows may be staggeredfrom each other to allow greater access to the drive portions 14A of therespective tool bits 14 without interference from adjacent bits 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the tool bit case 10 includes a stop 58associated with each of the bit retainers 30. The illustrated stops 58are configured such that one stop 58 is associated with each row of bitretainers 30. Each stop 58 is engageable with the heads 14B of the toolbits 14 supported in the corresponding row of bit retainers 30.Particularly, the stops 58 extend in a direction parallel to therespective rows of bit retainers 30 such that each of the tool bits 14in the respective bit retainers 30 for each row is engageable with thestop 58. In the illustrated construction of the tool bit case 10, thestops 58 are integrally formed with the tray 18 as a single piece andare defined as upstanding projections extending from the bottom surface34. Alternatively, the stops 58 may be coupled to the tray 18 in any ofa number of different manners, or omitted entirely. The stops 58 helplimit movement of the tool bits 14 within the bit retainers 30. Thestops 58 also define pivot points with the bottom surface 34 tofacilitate inserting and removing the tool bits 14 from the bitretainers, as further discussed below.

When the tool bits 14 are stored within the tool bit case 10, a user maymaneuver and manipulate one of the powered or manual drivers 16 (FIG. 1)to engage the hexagonal drive portion 14A of one of tool bits 14 andremove the tool bit 14 from its corresponding bit retainer 30 withoutfirst removing the tool bit 14 by hand for subsequent attachment to thedriver 16. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, since each tool bit 14 issupported by the corresponding bit retainer 30 at the oblique angle A,the drive portion 14A of the tool bit 14 is spaced apart from the bottomsurface 34 of the tray 18 and easily accessible. As shown in FIG. 4, theuser can slide the driver 16 onto the drive portion 14A of the tool bit14 to engage the drive portion 14A while the tool bit 14 is stillsupported by the bit retainer 30. In the illustrated construction, thedriver 16 includes a bore that is slid over an end of the drive portion14A generally along the longitudinal axis 50 of the tool bit 14. Inother embodiment, the driver 16 may include a slit or hook that snapsover the drive portion 14A from a direction generally perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis 50 of the tool bit 14.

Once the driver 16 engages the tool bit 14, the driver 16 is manipulatedto remove the tool bit 14 from the bit retainer 30. As shown in FIG. 4,the driver 16 can be rotated or pivoted in a first direction R1 awayfrom the bottom surface 34 of the tray 18 to pivot the tool bit 14 outof the bit retainer 30. Because the head 14B of the tool bit 14 extendstoward the bottom surface 34 of the tray 18 and engages the stop 58, thestop 58 limits the extent to which the tool bit 14 can slide within thebit retainer 30 while the tool bit 14 is being engaged by the driver 16.As such, the user may hold the tool bit case 10 with one hand whilepushing the driver 16 onto the drive portion 14A with his or her otherhand to thereby grasp the tool bit 14 without concern for the tool bit14 sliding excessively in the bit retainer 30.

During removal, the head 14B of the tool bit 14 contacts the stop 58 andthe bottom surface 34 to pivot about a point at the intersection of thestop 58 and the bottom surface 34. As the tool bit 14 is pivoted out ofthe bit retainer 30, the arcuate surfaces 42 of the bit retainer flexoutwardly to release the cylindrical shank 14C.

The user may also maneuver the powered or manual driver 16 to return thetool bit 14 to one of the bit retainers 30 without first removing thetool bit 14 from the driver 16 by hand and then placing the tool bit 14within the bit retainer 30. In this manner, the stops 58 may be utilizedas a pivot for engaging the head 14B of the tool bit 14 prior tolowering the tool bit 14 into the bit retainer 30. As shown in FIG. 4,the driver 16 can be rotated or pivoted in a second direction R2 towardthe bottom surface 34 of the tray and generally opposite the firstdirection R1 to pivot the tool bit 14 into the bit retainer 30. Afterthe tool bit 14 is grasped by the bit retainer 30, the driver 16 may bewithdrawn from (e.g., slid off of) the drive portion 14A of the tool bit14, thereby leaving the tool bit 14 behind in the bit retainer 30.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference tocertain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist withinthe scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the inventionas described. Various features and advantages of the invention are setforth in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A tool bit storage system comprising: aplurality of tool bits, each tool bit including a head and a driveportion; and a tool bit case including a bottom surface and a pluralityof bit retainers extending from the bottom surface, each bit retainersupporting one of the plurality of tool bits at an oblique anglerelative to the bottom surface so that the drive portion of the one ofthe plurality of tool bits extends generally away from the bottomsurface and the head of the one of the plurality of tool bits extendsgenerally toward the bottom surface; wherein the plurality of bitretainers are immovably coupled to the bottom surface to support theplurality of tool bits in fixed positions relative to the bottomsurface.
 2. The tool bit storage system of claim 1, wherein theplurality of bit retainers support the plurality of tool bits such thatthe head of each tool bit contacts the bottom surface of the tool bitcase.
 3. The tool bit storage system of claim 1, wherein the tool bitcase further includes a plurality of stops, wherein each stop isassociated with at least one of the plurality of bit retainers, andwherein each stop engages a portion of a corresponding tool bit to limitsliding of the corresponding tool bit relative to a corresponding bitretainer.
 4. The tool bit storage system of claim 3, wherein each of theplurality of stops is an upstanding projection extending from the bottomsurface of the tool bit case.
 5. The tool bit storage system of claim 1,wherein the oblique angle relative to the bottom surface is betweenapproximately 15 degrees and approximately 45 degrees.
 6. The tool bitstorage system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bit retainers arespaced apart such that each tool bit is removable from a correspondingbit retainer without interference from adjacent tool bits.
 7. The toolbit storage system of claim 1, wherein each tool bit includes acylindrical shank between the head and the drive portion, wherein eachbit retainer includes opposed arcuate surfaces, and wherein the opposedarcuate surfaces of each bit retainer grasp the cylindrical shank of acorresponding tool bit.
 8. The tool bit storage system of claim 7,wherein at least a portion of each bit retainer is made of resilientmaterial such that the opposed arcuate surfaces are flexible away fromeach other to facilitate removing the corresponding tool bit.
 9. Thetool bit storage system of claim 1, wherein the tool bit case includesan outer case and a tray positioned within the outer case, and whereinthe bottom surface and the plurality of bit retainers are part of thetray.
 10. A tool bit storage system comprising: a driver; a plurality oftool bits, each tool bit including a head and a drive portion, thedriver configured to independently engage the drive portion of each toolbit; and a tool bit case including a bottom surface and a plurality ofbit retainers extending from the bottom surface, one of the plurality ofbit retainers supporting the at least one tool bit in a fixed positionrelative to the one of the plurality of bit retainers at an obliqueangle relative to the bottom surface so that the drive portion of the atleast one tool bit extends generally away from the bottom surface andthe head of the at least one tool bit extends generally toward thebottom surface; wherein the driver is configured to initiate removal ofthe at least one tool bit out of the fixed position from the one of theplurality of bit retainers by pivoting the driver relative to the bottomsurface to pivot the at least one tool bit out of the one of theplurality of bit retainers.
 11. The tool bit storage system of claim 10,wherein the plurality of bit retainers are immovably coupled to thebottom surface to support the plurality of tool bits in fixed positions.12. The tool bit storage system of claim 10, wherein the plurality ofbit retainers support the plurality of tool bits such that the head ofeach tool bit contacts the bottom surface of the tool bit case.
 13. Thetool bit storage system of claim 10, wherein each tool bit includes acylindrical shank between the head and the drive portion, wherein eachbit retainer includes opposed arcuate surfaces, and wherein the opposedarcuate surfaces of each bit retainer grasp the cylindrical shank of acorresponding tool bit.
 14. The tool bit storage system of claim 13,wherein at least a portion of each bit retainer is made of resilientmaterial such that the opposed arcuate surfaces are flexible away fromeach other to facilitate removing the corresponding tool bit.
 15. A toolbit storage system configured to support a plurality of tool bits, eachtool bit including a head, a drive portion, and a cylindrical shankbetween the head and the drive portion, the tool bit storage systemcomprising: a tool bit case including a bottom surface and a pluralityof bit retainers extending from the bottom surface, each bit retainerincluding a support portion oriented at an oblique angle relative to thebottom surface, each bit support portion including a first arcuatesurface and a second arcuate surface opposing the first arcuate surface,the first and second arcuate surfaces configured to grasp thecylindrical shank of one of the plurality of tool bits to support theone of the plurality of tool bits in an inclined orientation within thetool bit case so that the drive portion of the one of the plurality oftool bits extends generally away from the bottom surface and the head ofthe one of the plurality of tool bits extends generally toward thebottom surface; wherein the first and second arcuate surfaces define atheoretical cylinder, and wherein the bit retainer does not extendaround an entire circumference of the theoretical cylinder so adjacentends of the first and second arcuate surfaces define a spacetherebetween through which the one of the plurality of tool bits isremovable.
 16. The tool bit storage system of claim 15, wherein theplurality of bit retainers are immovably coupled to the bottom surfaceto support the plurality of tool bits in fixed positions.
 17. The toolbit storage system of claim 15, wherein the bit support portions areconfigured to support the one of the plurality of tool bits such thatthe head of the one of the plurality of tool bits contacts the bottomsurface of the tool bit case.
 18. The tool bit storage system of claim15, wherein at least a portion of each bit retainer is made of resilientmaterial such that the first and second arcuate surfaces are flexibleaway from each other to remove the corresponding tool bit.
 19. The toolbit storage system of claim 15, wherein the tool bit case furtherincludes a plurality of stops, wherein each stop is associated with atleast one of the plurality of bit retainers, and wherein each stopengages a portion of a corresponding tool bit to limit sliding of thecorresponding tool bit relative to a corresponding bit retainer.